At the Fourth Prince's residence, Yihua was packing her bags. The Emperor had decreed that he would inspect the border regions, and the Prince of Zhi, the Crown Prince, Yinzhen, the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince, the Fourteenth Prince, and their younger brothers were all to accompany him.
Apart from this generation, the younger generation, Hongxi, Hongjin, and Honghui, were the ones Kangxi specifically requested to take with him. The rest of the imperial grandsons were not eligible for this trip.
The auspicious day calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was five days away. Although there were five days to prepare, Yihua still felt that the time was a bit tight.
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time Yinzhen had accompanied the emperor on his travels in recent years, and the number of times he accompanied him had been roughly the same, with some increases and decreases compared to previous years.
When Yinzhen returned to the mansion and saw the lively scene at Yihua's place, he went to check on the children first. Liu Liu was in Xiaolang's room, and the two of them, big and small, were having a great time playing together, not even noticing Yinzhen's arrival.
Liu Liu spotted Yinzhen and looked up at him with a sweet smile: "Father, Mother said you're going to a very, very far place. Can Liu Liu go with you?"
"Liuliu is still young. When you grow up to be the same age as your older brother, your father will take you out, okay?" Yinzhen coaxed her.
Liu Liu was a good girl. She nodded and continued to ask, "Can Mother go? Mother is older than Big Brother."
Yinzhen seemed to be deep in thought, but did not answer. He picked her up and lifted her high, then patted the little wolf's head before going to the main courtyard.
Yu Xue prepared the water, and Yi Hua was washing her hands. When she saw Yin Zhen walk in, she grinned mischievously and flicked her wet hands at Yin Zhen a few times. The experienced Yin Zhen had already dodged it.
"You're a mother of several children now, and you're still so mischievous. Liu Liu just takes after you." Yinzhen smiled and took a handkerchief to gently wipe Yi Hua's fingers.
"Is everything prepared for the trip?" Yinzhen asked.
Yi Hua nodded: "It's basically ready. Let's go over it with Eunuch Su again tomorrow. Is there anything you'd like to add, Master?"
"Speaking of which, there really is. Yihua, would you like to go to the borderlands?" Yinzhen asked.
"What? Really? I can go?" Yi Hua realized what Yinzhen was talking about and was so happy she wanted to jump up.
In recent years, when Emperor Kangxi went on inspection tours, Yinzhen often accompanied him, but he either came alone or with concubines and maids. This was the first time he had mentioned that he could go with him.
"You really want to go?" Yinzhen asked in return.
Yi Hua said longingly, "I've lived in the capital since I was a child. The farthest place I've ever been is the outskirts of Beijing. I've never been to a place as far as the border. If I could go with them and see the scenery along the way, just thinking about it would be wonderful."
"Alright, let's prepare together then. I'll take you there," Yinzhen replied. It wasn't actually a difficult task.
Yi Hua was happy for a while, then suddenly thought of the children: "What about Liu Liu and Little Wolf?"
“They are too young. Not to mention the dust and grime of the journey, the constant changes in environment might make them unsuitable. Let’s send the children to Yonghe Palace. Her Majesty likes them very much and will not mistreat them.” Yinzhen had obviously already considered this matter.
Yi Hua hesitated for a moment. She wasn't worried that Consort De would treat the children badly. She might be more biased towards the Fourteenth Prince and his children, but she still had the affection of a grandmother.
“Little Wolf is still young, and Liu Liu is not old either. Will they feel that we have abandoned them?” Yi Hua was a little worried. The children had been by her side since birth and had never left her side. The thought of being separated for several months made Yi Hua feel sad.
"Don't worry, just coax her a bit and she'll be fine. Go and get ready, okay?" Yinzhen patted Yihua's shoulder.
Because Yinzhen proposed to bring his wife along, the Ninth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince all responded and changed their minds at the last minute.
The next day, the Ninth Prince's wife, the Thirteenth Prince's wife, and the Fourteenth Prince's wife arranged to come and talk to Yihua.
The Fourteenth Princess was the most excited. As soon as she entered the room, she grabbed Yihua's arm and shook it: "It's all thanks to Fourth Sister-in-law, otherwise our master would never have thought of taking me out to relax."
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I'm young and inexperienced. What do I need to prepare? Please tell us quickly." The Fourteenth Princess's smile never stopped.
Ninth Prince's wife nodded in agreement, "It's all thanks to Fourth Sister-in-law. Ninth Master said that Fourth Uncle specially sent someone to say this yesterday. However, our Master is chivalrous and has a younger sister accompanying him."
"Huh?" The Fourteenth Princess Consort was somewhat surprised. The Ninth Prince really didn't give her any face at all by doing this.
"As you all probably know, our master took a fancy to a Han woman who sold herself to bury her father. Now that he's brought her into the household, we thought it was just a passing fancy, but who knew he'd really taken her to heart and now she follows him everywhere." As the Ninth Prince's wife spoke, a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes. She might not care about the Ninth Prince's favor, but if he didn't even have basic respect, what was the point of her being the Ninth Prince's wife?
Hua really didn't know about this. Yinzhen wasn't the type to gossip about his younger brother's affairs, so this was the first time she had heard about it.
"It's just one more person to serve you, what does it have to do with anyone else?" Yi Hua said reassuringly, keeping the matter in mind. In Yi Hua's heart, the Ninth Prince had always been a very tactful person. Even if he doted on a woman, he had never publicly humiliated the Ninth Prince's wife. This woman must be extraordinary.
******
Five days passed quickly. After sending the children to Yonghe Palace ahead of schedule, Yihua burst into tears as she turned to leave. She suddenly felt that she was an irresponsible mother who had abandoned her children to others for a moment of pleasure.
Honghui, who was standing beside Yihua, saw that she looked depressed and quickly comforted her: "Mother, don't worry, Mam will take good care of your younger siblings. Since I can remember, Mother has never left the capital. You work hard for the children every day. Take this opportunity to rest. Liu Liu and Xiao Lang will understand."
Yihua looked at Honghui, holding back her tears, her heart filled with contentment: "Having you, Liu Liu, and Xiaolang is my greatest blessing."
Honghui was somewhat surprised. His mother hadn't mentioned his father, so he added, "And there's also my father."
Yi Hua lowered her head and replied, "Yes, and your father too."
In order to depart at the time calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Yihua got up very early, dressed and put on makeup in a daze. She thought she could take a car out of the city immediately, but the sun, which was expected to come out, was lazy and did not come out from behind the clouds.
Now things are really messed up. The main group can only wait. Yihua is fine, as she can leisurely have breakfast at the Prince's residence. Yinzhen and the others can only follow behind the imperial carriage and wait, unable to leave or get away.
Half a day passed, and the sun finally peeked out amidst the eager anticipation of everyone at the Imperial Observatory. The director wiped away his cold sweat, feeling that his head was safe.
Emperor Kangxi led a large entourage on a formal expedition to the northern frontier, thus beginning his journey.
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